b. Their Belief that the Knowledge of the Qur’an and its Understanding is Confined to the Imams
c. Their Belief that the Imam has the Right to Abrogate Verses, Restrict the General Commands of the Qur’an and Add Conditions to those which were Revealed Without any Conditions Attached to them, etc.
April 15, 2016Discussion One – Their Belief Regarding the Qur’an as a Source of Proof
April 15, 2016BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
b. Their Belief that the Knowledge of the Qur’an and its Understanding is Confined to the Imams
It is a known fact in Islam that the knowledge and understanding of the Qur’an cannot be a secret confined to a certain bloodline. ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was definitely not singled out as a recipient of this divine blessing, which would mean deprivation of the rest of the Sahabah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Rather, they were (collectively) the first students thereof, who had the grand opportunity of learning the Qur’an from the Messenger who was sent to the entire humanity, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They then had the privilege of imparting it to the rest of the generations to come. It is only the Shia who deny this fact and fundamental belief of Islam and prefer to believe that Allah had confined all the knowledge contained in the Qur’an to their twelve Imams, and they alone know its interpretation. Whoever seeks the knowledge of the Qur’an from anyone besides them is indeed misguided.
Some sources of the Ahlus Sunnah state that this belief was originated or at least the roots thereof were planted by Ibn Saba’, as he is the one who claimed:
ان القران جزء من تسعة اجزاء و علمه عند على
The (present) Qur’an is one of nine portions, and the knowledge of it by ‘Ali.[1]
This view is repeated in the books of the Ithna ‘Ashariyyah (Twelvers) in many different narrations:
A lengthy narration from Abu ‘Abdullah appears in Usul al Kafi, wherein he says:
ان الناس يكفيهم القران لو وجدوا له مفسرا و ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فسره لرجل واحد و فسر للامة شان ذلك الرجل وهو على بن ابى طالب
The Qur’an is sufficient for people, if they find one who is able to interpret it for them. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam interpreted it for one man and he explained the details of that man to the ummah. He is ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.[2]
Many of their reliable books report the following from Rasulullah:
ان الله انزل على القران وهو الذى من خالفه ضل و من يبتغى علمه عند غير على هلك
Allah revealed upon me the Qur’an. It is such a book that whoever opposes it will go astray and whoever seeks the explanation of it from anyone besides ‘Ali will be destroyed.[3]
It is also claimed in their books that Abu Jafar (al Baqir) asked Qatadah, “O Qatadah, are you the jurist of the people of Basrah?” Qatadah replied, “that is what they say.” Thereupon Abu Jafar said:
بلغنى انك تفسر القران فقال له قتادة نعم –الى ان قال- ويحك يا قتادة انما يعرف القران من خوطب به
“It has reached me that you explain the Qur’an.” Qatadah replied in the affirmative whereupon Abu Jafar said:
Woe unto you o Qatadah! Only that person has knowledge of the Qur’an who was addressed by it.[4]
Tafsir al Furat states:
انما على الناس ان يقرؤوا القران كما انزل فاذا احتاجوا الى تفسيره فالاهتداء بنا و الينا
The only responsibility of the masses is to recite the Qur’an as it was revealed. When they require its explanation, then guidance is in (following) us and (coming) to us.[5]
This chapter is laden with narrations, so much so that if I were to present all that is in front of me right now, it will fill an entire volume. Al Kafi contains a few chapters, each of which contain a number of their narrations on the subject. They include the following chapters:
- The Imams radiya Llahu ‘anhu are the guardians of the decision of Allah and the treasurers of his knowledge.[6]
- The ‘Ahl al Dhikr’, who the creation have been commanded to ask all their questions are only the Imams.[7]
- Whenever people are referred to as knowledgeable, it refers to the Imams.[8]
- The ones who are well-grounded in knowledge are the Imams.[9]
- The Imams have been granted knowledge and it has been established in their bosoms.[10]
As for the author of al Bihar, as per his habit, has a large collection on this topic. Among his chapter titles are:
- They are the custodians of the knowledge of the Qur’an (This chapter contains 54 narrations).[11]
- They are the treasurers of the knowledge of Allah.[12]
- The knowledge of the skies and earth is not hidden from them.[13]
- Nothing is hidden from them.[14]
Wasa’il al Shia of al Hurr al ‘Amili has a chapter entitled “the impermissibility of extracting laws from the apparent meaning of the Qur’an by analogy, except after learning their interpretations from the speech of the Imams”. This chapter contains eighty of their narrations.[15] Al Fusul al Muhimmah fi Usul al A’immah has a chapter titled “none knows the interpretation of the Qur’an besides the Imams.”[16] The author of Tafsir al Safi dedicated one of the introductory chapters of his book to this matter, i.e. “the second introduction — a synopsis of that which has come to us regarding the all the knowledge of the Qur’an being confined to the Ahlul bayt”.[17] The author of Muqaddimat al Burhan writes, “the fifth chapter : explaining that which indicates that the knowledge of the interpretation of the Qur’an, or rather, the entire Qur’an is known only to the Ahlul bayt”.[18] He mentions a few of their narrations regarding this matter after which he says:
اقول و الاخبار فى هذا الباب اكثر من ان تحصى
I say, “the narrations in this chapter are too many. They cannot be counted.”[19]
If we list all the Shia books in which this has been discussed, the discussion will become lengthy, as this is one of their foundational principles. One of their Ayatollahs[20] say:
اعلم ان علم القران مخزون عند اهل البيت وهو مما قضت به ضرورة المذهب
Know well that the knowledge of the Qur’an is securely kept by the Ahlul bayt. This is from the fundamentals of the mazhab.[21]
It is quite amazing that based upon the claim that the Imams alone have the knowledge of the Qur’an, they claim that they have knowledge regarding everything. Abu ‘Abdullah (al Sadiq) says (as they falsely assert):
انى لاعلم ما فى السموات و اعلم ما فى الارضين و اعلم ما فى الجنة و اعلم ما فى النار و اعلم ما كان و ما يكون ثم مكث هنيئة فراى ان ذلك كبر على من سمعه فقال علمت ذلك من كتاب الله ان الله يقول فيه تبيان كل شيئ
Indeed I know what is in the heavens, what is in the earths, what is in Jannat, what is in Jahannam, what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. He paused for a while and noticed that his speech weighed heavily upon those who heard it. Thus he said, “I learnt all of it from the Book of Allah. Allah says in it ‘the explanation of everything.’” (Al Bihar 26/111)
Look at this text which is attributed to Jafar rahimahu Llah — and we stand witness to his innocence, as his piety and leadership does not allow this. The one who concocted it claims that he knew everything, but he was ignorant of even that which he was quoting as the Qur’an does not contain any verse such as “تبيان كل شيئ”, the correct wording of the verse is تبينا لكل شيئ .[22] Allah disgraced him by exposing his ignorance regarding this verse. This mistake also serves as a clear proof that these texts are from the fabrications of an irreligious individual who infiltrated the ranks of the Muslims in a move to plot against Islam and Muslims.
Analysis and Criticism of this View
Analysis of the Texts
The reader should be aware that it is beyond us to quote all their texts on this matter, gather them here and analyse them, due to their abundance. Doing so would require a great amount of pages. It is more appropriate for us to cite a few examples therefrom, as all echo the same meaning, i.e. the knowledge of the Qur’an was confined to twelve Imams, it is kept as a treasure by them and they, by means of it, have knowledge regarding everything. We will now pause and analyse and examine each text that we have quoted. Thereafter, we will return to the actual belief and analyse it.
The First Text: Wherein it is Claimed that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Explained the Qur’an Only to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu
Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:
وَ اَنْزَلْنَآ اِلَیْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَیْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ یَتَفَکَّرُوْنَ
And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’an] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.[23]
The books of the Shia, as we have previously mentioned, state that it is not the duty of the Rasul to explain the Qur’an to the people. Rather, his duty is to explain “the position of that man — ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib”. As for explaining the Qur’an to the people, this was the duty and deputation of ‘Ali, not Muhammad. The speech of the Ithna ‘Ashariyyah (Twelvers) at this juncture is akin to the speech of one of the extremist sects, the Gharabiyyah — who would say that Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam resembled ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to a greater degree than that of the resemblance between two crows. Allah had sent Jibril with revelation to ‘Ali, but he was mistaken and thus passed on the revelation to Muhammad.[24]
Is there any real difference between this view and the view of the Ithna ‘Ashariyyah (Twelvers)? The Ithna ‘Ashariyyah (Twelvers) have also passed on the task of conveying the message of Allah to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu (instead of Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The only difference is that they did not accuse Jibril of making a mistake. According to this, the only duty which was assigned to Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was, the introducing of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and explaining his position. I leave it upon the reader to ponder over the rest of the similarities, as they are self-evident.
The Second Text: Whoever Seeks the Knowledge of the Qur’an from Anyone Besides ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu will be Destroyed
We believe that whoever seeks the knowledge of the Qur’an from the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the Sahabah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, among whom is ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, will definitely be guided. The claim that whoever seeks it from any source besides ‘Ali is totally unknown and foreign to Islam. In fact, its falsity is obvious, Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not ever confine the knowledge of Islam and the shari’ah to any specific Sahabi, thereby depriving the rest of his companions thereof. The above-quoted verse, “and We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’an] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them,” very clearly points out that the explanation was presented to the people and not to a specific individual or group of people, even though they were from the household of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Added to the above, Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu denied the claim that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam taught him anything that was not taught to others. Also, Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam addressed his Sahabah (and included the rest of the generations after them in this address), saying to them that they should convey his message and he exhorted them fervently to do so. Zaid ibn Thabit as well as others narrates:
نضر الله امرءا سمع منا حديثا فحفظه حتى يبلغه غيره فانه رب حامل فقه ليس بفقيه و رب حامل فقه الى من هو افقه منه
May Allah safeguard (the faculties and abilities of) the person who hears a hadith from us, memorises it and passes it on to others. Many a carrier of knowledge does not have a comprehensive understanding thereof, and many a carrier of knowledge conveys it to those who surpass him in understanding it…[25]
This hadith is also found in the reliable books of the Ithna ‘Ashariyyah (Twelvers).[26] Thus there remains no reason for it not to serve as proof against them.
The Third Text
None were addressed by the Qur’an besides the twelve Imams. Thus, none knows the Qur’an besides them.
انما يعرف القران من خوطب به
Woe unto you o Qatadah! Only that person has knowledge of the Qur’an who was addressed by it.[27]
It is for this very reason that the noble Sahabah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the generation after them and the scholars of Islam along the centuries have been described as “those who are doomed and have brought doom (upon others)” on account of them shouldering the task and responsibility of explaining the Qur’an in accordance to its principles. Another reason could be that they believed that the Qur’an contains that which none will be excused for being ignorant thereof, that which the Arabs have always known, as it was part of their speech, that which is only known to the scholars and that which is not known to anyone except Allah.[28]
The Shia claim that none have the knowledge of the Qur’an besides the Imams, and they possess all the knowledge of the Qur’an. This is claim that needs to be backed by proof. However, it is belied by both logic as well as narration. Most of all, their books of Tafsir are the greatest of testimonies against them, as will be seen!
The Fourth Text
The duty of the entire humanity, besides the Imams, is only to recite the Qur’an. Nobody is allowed to undertake the responsibility of explaining it besides the Imams. Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam himself was not allowed to do so, as his responsibility was only to “explain the details of that man”. Thus, the prohibition applied to a greater extent to the Sahabah, pious predecessors and leading scholars of the ummah. If anyone requires the explanation of any verse of the Qur’an, his only option is to place his query before those who possess the knowledge of the Qur’an, i.e. their Imams.
Now, if that is the case, then let us ask, what can we find in the books of Tafsir or other books of the Shia such as Tafsir al Qummi, al ‘Ayyashi, al Burhan, Tafsir al Safi, al Kafi and al Bihar under the explanations of the verses of the Qur’an which are attributed to the Imams? One who looks, will find that the interpretations offered there are supposedly ‘hidden’ meanings. They are not, in any way, linked to the text of the Qur’an, the contexts wherein they appear, their meanings or implications. This will be demonstrated in the examples that will appear.
As stated, the greatest testimony that stands against this view of the Shia is their own books of Tafsir. Further, the texts quoted from their books on the subject deter people from pondering over and reflecting upon the Qur’an and understanding its meanings. This is clearly a form of preventing people from the din of Allah and His shari’ah. Perhaps, the secret behind the concoction of this fallacy is to prevent the Shia from studying the Book of Allah, reflecting upon it and understanding it, as that would embarrass the founders of the religion by exposing their colossal amount of lies, misguided schemes and flawed methodology of interpreting the Qur’an (by claiming that their interpretations are a reflection of the internal or secret meanings).
An Analysis of this View
This view is based on the belief that the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed on all the knowledge of the Qur’an to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This view raised its head in the very lifetime of Amir al Mu’minin, as the Saba’iyyah openly claimed that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the sole possessor of some knowledge. Consequently, he made an open declaration to the contrary saying:
والذى فلق الحبة و برء النسمة ما عندنا الا ما فى القران الا فهما يعطى رجل فى كتابه
By the oath of the one who caused the seed to split and created every being, we do not possess except that which is in the Qur’an besides understanding which a man is blessed with regarding the Book of Allah.
A fact that simply cannot be overlooked is that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam explained the meanings of the verses of the Qur’an to his Sahabah, just as he taught them the wording thereof. The following verse refers to both, the words as well as the meanings:
وَ اَنْزَلْنَآ اِلَیْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَیْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ یَتَفَکَّرُوْنَ
And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’an] that you may explain clearly to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.[29]
Abu ‘Abdur rahman al Sulami[30] said:
Those who taught us the Qur’an (‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and others) narrated to us that when they would learn from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, they would not learn more than ten verses until they had fully grasped the knowledge of what they had learnt and brought it into practise. Thus they would say:
فتعلمنا القران والعلم و العمل جميعا
We learnt the Qur’an, understood the knowledge (contained therein) and practised upon it all together.[31]
Thus, it comes as no surprise that they would take a while to learn each surah. They were practically implementing the following advices of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala:
کِتٰبٌ اَنْزَلْنٰهُ اِلَیْکَ مُبٰرَكٌ لِّیَدَّبَّرُوْآ اٰیٰتِهٖ وَ لِیَتَذَکَّرَ اُولُوا الْاَلْبَابِ
(This is) a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.[32]
اَفَلَا یَتَدَبَّرُوْنَ الْقُرْاٰنَ
Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an.[33]
اَفَلَمْ یَدَّبَّرُوا الْقَوْلَ
Then have they not reflected over the word [i.e., the Qur’an].[34]
A fact that needs no mention but will be mentioned due to it being ignored is that it is impossible to ponder upon the Qur’an without understanding its meanings. Another verse which exposes the lies behind their view is:
اِنَّآ اَنْزَلْنٰهُ قُرْءٰنًا عَرَبِیًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُوْنَ
Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.[35]
Added to these proofs, it is also well known to all that the purpose of speech is that the meaning thereof should be understood. Simply grasping the words is definitely not the goal. Due to all of these proofs, this doctrine of the Shia became indigestible to many of them as well. Consequently, they wriggled their way out of it saying that the knowledge of the outward meanings are not confined to the twelve Imams, but they are known to all. The knowledge which is confined to the Imams is the inner or secret meanings.
This caused a huge disagreement between the Usulis and Akhbaris as far as considering the apparent meanings of the verses to be proof. The first group believes, based upon the verses which call upon everyone to ponder over the Qur’an and understand it, that they do serve as proof, whilst the second group insists that the knowledge of the Qur’an, be it the apparent meanings or the secret ones, is confined to the twelve Imams.[36]
The claim that the Qur’an was not explained to anyone besides ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu renders the following verse meaningless or at least distorts its meaning:
وَ اَنْزَلْنَآ اِلَیْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَیْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ یَتَفَکَّرُوْنَ
And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’an] that you may explain clearly to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.[37]
The instruction is quite clear — a clear explanation to the people, not only ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Now, the champions of this doctrine will have only one of two options; either they will accuse Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam of not conveying that which was revealed to them, or they will disbelieve in the Qur’an. Both options are in stark contradiction to the basics of Islam as well as the demands of intelligence. Added to that, this doctrine is disproved by the number of the Sahabah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam being known for their expertise in explaining the Qur’an such as; the four khulafa’, Ibn Mas’ud, Ibn ‘Abbas, Zaid ibn Thabit radiya Llahu ‘anhum, etc. In fact, ‘‘Ali would praise the commentaries of Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhum.[38]
Ibn Taymiyyah says:
The amount of narrations that Allah willed, in which the commentaries of Ibn ‘Abbas is reported are all authentic and established. However, none of them contain the name of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, whereas Ibn ‘Abbas narrates from other Sahabah including ‘Umar, Abu Hurairah, ‘Abdur rahman ibn ‘Awf, Zaid ibn Thabit and Usamah ibn Zaid among others from the Muhajirin and Ansar radiya Llahu ‘anhum. His narrations from ‘Ali are extremely few in number, and they do not appear in the books whose authors sufficed upon authentic ahadith. In these books, his narrations from ‘Umar, ‘Abdur rahman ibn ‘Awf, Abu Hurairah and others radiya Llahu ‘anhum are narrated. The Muslims do not possess any authentic (complete) Tafsir which can be attributed to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. The books of hadith and Tafsir are filled with narrations from the Sahabah and Tabi’in, with a very minimal amount being from ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Also, most of that which is attributed to Jafar al Sadiq is nothing but fabrications.[39]
The other claim (that the Imams have knowledge of the entire Qur’an) is also clear exaggeration. The matter is as stated by Ibn Jarir al Tabari:
There are some portions of the Qur’an that cannot be understood without an explanation from Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They are clarifications of that which is equivocal in the revealed form, and the masses are in need of its explanation as it includes the laws of din, such as commandments, prohibitions, clarification of that which is permissible and impermissible, mention of the punishments and the laws of inheritance. None could have known the meanings without the explanation of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who would not have known them without revelation from Allah. There are other portions as well, the interpretations of which are not known to anyone besides Allah, the Almighty. This applies to all those matters, the knowledge of which Allah preferred to keep to Himself such as the time of the final hour, the blowing of the trumpet, etc. A third portion also exists, which is understood by all those who understand Arabic, the language in which the Qur’an was revealed.[40]
Another established fact which is challenged by their claim that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the only one who transferred the knowledge of the Qur’an, is the fact that the laws of the Qur’an were passed down to each generation, starting from the Sahabah ,with tawatur; as their claim suggests that this transmission was done by only one person, i.e. ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
The crux of the issue is that this doctrine was a ploy, the goal of which was to prevent (the Shia) from the Book of Allah, to turn them away from pondering over its contents, learning from its guidance, reflecting upon its lessons and contemplating upon its meanings and objectives. Hence in the religion of the Shia, there is no way that the meanings of the Qur’an can be understood, except through the twelve Imams. The rest of humanity should remain deprived of benefitting therefrom. Undoubtedly, this is a ploy, the object of which cannot remain hidden. This is because the Book of Allah was revealed in clear Arabic and the entire humanity was addressed therein. Allah says:
اِنَّآ اَنْزَلْنٰهُ قُرْءٰنًا عَرَبِیًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُوْنَ
Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.[41]
هٰذَا بَیَانٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَهُدًی وَّمَوْعِظَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِیْنَ
This [Qur’an] is a clear statement to [all] the people and a guidance and instruction for those conscious of Allah.[42]
Allah commanded his bondsmen to ponder over the Qur’an and take lessons from its examples. It is impossible that a person can be commanded to ponder over what he is told if he does not know what is being said to him or he does not understand its meaning. How can he be told, “take a lesson from that which you do not understand”?[43]
It is also an attempt to render meaningless the great knowledge regarding the Tafsir of the Qur’an which was conveyed to us by the Sahabah and pious predecessors. All of these treasures are worthless and useless according to the Shia, as they are not reported from the twelve Imams. This has also been explicitly mentioned by one of the contemporary scholars:
ان جميع التفاسير الواردة عن غير اهل البيت لا قيمة لها ولا يعتد بها
All the commentaries which are not narrated from the Ahlul bayt have no value and they cannot be relied upon.[44]
According to them, only their books of Tafsir hold any value. This forces us to ask, “what do their books contain?” A study of their reliable books such as Tafsir al Qummi, al ‘Ayyashi, al Safi and al Burhan, as well as their hadith books the likes of al Kafi and al Bihar reveals such interpretations of the Book of Allah which are attributed to the Ahlul bayt which reflect (in most cases) gross ignorance regarding the Book of Allah, interpretations which are open fallacies and twists of the meaning which cannot be hidden. The attribution of these interpretations to the scholars of the Ahlul bayt is defied by the simplest of logic.
This is because these explanations have no connection to the wording, its meanings and implications or even the context of the verses of the Qur’an, as will be established from a few examples of their commentaries. The implication of this attribution, after taking cognizance of their belief, is that these fallacies and statements (which reflect gross ignorance regarding the Book of Allah) are the pinnacle of the knowledge of the scholars of the Ahlul bayt. The insults, disparagement and accusation of ignorance contained in this belief against the Ahlul bayt exceed all limits, especially from a people who are claimants of their love and tashayyu’ (support).
The matter does not end here. In fact, the greatest potential damage that is contained in this belief is their view that these are the meanings of the Qur’an and the knowledge thereof. There is no other meaning to the Qur’an which surpasses them, as they emerged from the original and sole source, which alone was authenticated and approved to convey it. This is a defamation of the Qur’an and it belittles the position accorded to it. It is no exaggeration to say that this is open war against the Qur’an and a wicked smear campaign to deter people from drawing close to it.
[1] Al Jowzajani: Ahwal al Rijal pg. 38
[2] Usul al Kafi 1/25, Wasa’il al Shia 18/131
[3] Wasa’il al Shia 18/138. Refer to Bihar al Anwar 7/302, 19/23, al Tabari (al Rafidi): Basharat al Mustafa pg. 16, Amamli al Saduq pg. 40
[4] Al Kafi Kitab al Rawdah 12/415, number 485 (which is printed along with Sharh Jami’ of al Mazindarani), Wasa’il al Shia 18/136, Tafsir al Safi 1/21-22, al Burhan fi Tafsir al Qur’an 1/18, Bihar al Anwar 24/237, 238
[5] Tafsir Furat pg. 91, Wasa’il al Shia 18/149
[6] Usul al Kafi 1/192
[7] Ibid 1/210
[8] Ibid 1/212
[9] Ibid 1/213
[10] Ibid 1/213
[11] Al Bihar 23/188-205
[12] Ibid 26/105
[13] Ibid 26/109
[14] Ibid 26/137
[15] Wasa’il al Shia 18/129-152
[16] Al Hurr al ‘Amili: al Fusul al Muhimmah pg. 173
[17] Tafsir al Safi 1/19
[18] Muqaddimat al Burhan pg. 15
[19] Ibid pg. 16
[20] Hussain al Barujardi – one of their contemporary scholars
[21] Tafsīr al Ṣirāṭ al Mustaqīm 3/4
[22] Surah al Nahl: 89
[23] Surah al Nahl: 44
[24] Ibn Hazm: al Fisal 5/42, al Baghdadi: Al Farq Bayn al Firaq pg. 250, al Isfarayini: al Tabsir fi l-Din pg. 74, Ibn al Murtada: al Munyat wa l-Amal pg. 30, al Milti: al Tanbih wa l-Radd pg. 157 (he named them al Jumhuriyyah).
[25] Reported by Ahmed 5/183 (the quoted text is verbatim from his book), al Darimi: Muqaddimah, Bab al Iqtida bi l-’Ulama’ 1/73, Abu Dawood: Kitab al ‘Ilm, Bab Fadl Nashr al ‘Ilm 4/68-69, Ibn Majah: al Muqaddimah, Bab Man Ballaga ‘Ilman 1/84, al Tirmidhi: Kitab al ‘Ilm, Bab ma Ja’fi l-Hathth ‘ala Tabligh al Sima’ 5/33-34, Ibn Hibban: Sahih (refer to Mowrid al Zam’an, Kitab al ‘Ilm, Bab Riwayat al Hadith li man Fahimahu wa li man lam Yafhamhu pg. 47). Ibn Hajar says in Takhrij al Mukhtasar: “This hadith of Zaid ibn Thabit is authentic. It is reported by Ahmed, Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban, Ibn Abi Hatim, al Khatib, Abu Nuaim, al Tayalisi and al Tirmidhi. This subject also has narrations from Muaz ibn Jabal, Abu al Darda, Anas, etc.” Refer to Fayd al Qadir 6/285. It has also been quoted in al Silsilat al Ahadith al Sahihah 1/689-690. Sheikh ‘Abdul Muhsin al ‘Ibad has a treatise on it titled, Dirasat Hadith Naddar Allah Imra’an Sami’a Maqalati, Riwayatan wa Dirayatan.
[26] Refer to Usul al Kafi 1/403, al Hurr al ‘Amili: Wasa’il al Shia 18/63
[27] Al Kafi Kitab al Rowdah 12/415, number 485 (which is printed along with Sharh Jami’ of al Mazindarani), Wasa’il al Shia 18/136, Tafsir al Safi 1/21-22, al Burhan fi Tafsir al Qur’an 1/18, Bihar al Anwar 24/237, 238
[28] A statement to this meaning has been narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Refer to Tafsir al Tabari 1/76 (researched by Ahmed Shakir and Mahmud Shakir) and Tafsir Ibn Kathir 1/5.
[29] Surah al Nahl: 44
[30] The Qari of Kufah, the luminary, Imam ‘Abdullah ibn Habib ibn Rabi’ah al Kufi. He was from the generation of the children of the Sahabah. He was born during the lifetime of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he learnt the Qur’an from ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Zaid, Ubay and Ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhum. Refer to al Dhahabi: Siyar A’lam al Nubala’ 4/267, al Suyuti: Tabaqat al Huffaz pg. 19. He should not be confused with the sufi and scholar who goes by the same name (Abu ‘Abdur rahman al Sulami), who is the author of Haqa’iq al Tafsir and he passed away in the year 412 A.H. He was guilty of attributing explanations to Abu Jafar (al Baqir) which are in fact the views of the Batiniyyah, and Abu Jafar had nothing to do with them. Refer to Ibn Taymiyyah: Minhaj al Sunnah 4/146, al Fatawa 13/242-243, al Khatib al Baghdadi: Tarikh Baghdad 2/248-249 and al Dhahabi: Mizan al I’tidal 3/523.
[31] Refer to Ibn Taymiyyah: Majmu’ Fatawa 13/331. Al Tabari also narrates this in his Tafsir (1/80). The researcher stated in the footnote of this narration: “This is an unbroken and reliable isnad.” Refer to Tafsir al Tabari which was researched by Mahmud Shakir and Ahmed Shakir. Al Tabari also records it from Hussain ibn Waqid-A’mash-Shaqiq from — Ibn Mas’ud: “When one of us would learn ten verses, he would not proceed further until he understood its meanings and practised upon it.” (1/80) The researcher comments, “this is an authentic isnad.” Although it is narrated from Ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu, it holds the same weight as that which is narrated from Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as he learnt the Qur’an from Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Thus, he narrates to us the methodology of the illuminated era of nubuwwah. Tafsir al Tabari 1/80. Shu’ayb al Arna’ut commented on this hadith saying: “The narrators are reliable.” Refer to his footnotes of Siyar A’lam al Nubala’ 4/270
[32] Surah Sad: 29
[33] Surah al Nisa: 82, Surah Muhammad: 24
[34] Surah al Mu’minun: 68
[35] Surah Yusuf: 2
[36] Many of their books on Tafsir and Usul al Fiqh have discussed this matter. refer to al Khu’i: al Bayan pg. 263, al Barujardi: Tafsir al Sirat al Mustaqim 2/175, al Muzaffar: Usul al Fiqh 3/130, al Hakim: al Usul al ‘Ammah li l-Fiqh al Muqarin pg. 102-105, al Maythami: Qawami’ al Fusul pg. 298
[37] Surah al Nahl: 44
[38] Refer to Ibn ‘Atiyyah: al Muharrar al Wajiz 1/19, Ibn Juzayy: al Tashil 1/9
[39] Minhaj al Sunnah 4/155
[40] Tafsir al Tabari 1/73-74, 87-88
[41] Surah Yusuf: 2
[42] Surah Al ‘Imran: 138
[43] Refer to Tafsir al Tabari 1/82
[44] Muhammad Rida al Najafi: al Shia wa l-Raj’ah pg. 19